The center of excellence will be hosted by the Micron bioimaging facility within the department of biochemistry at the University of Oxford and will feature imaging solutions from Leica Microsystems, such as the Stellaris 5 confocal microscope platform and the Mica microhub.

In pursuit of a joint mission to advance scientific research and promote state-of-the-art microscopy techniques, this new partnership brings together the expertise of Leica Microsystems, known for its precision microscopy and imaging instruments, with the academic excellence of one of the world’s leading universities.

Integral to the center’s mission is the advancement of learning by establishing a collaborative culture of training and nurturing a network of future talent. It will provide a place for experts from across the scientific community to come together and share knowledge through workshops and seminars. Furthermore, immersive training sessions will help scientists harness the latest microscopy and imaging technologies, such as super resolution live cell imaging with the Stellaris STED microscope or correlations between cryo EM and microscopy using Cryo CLEM.

“We are excited to partner with the University of Oxford's Department of Biochemistry to establish this center of excellence,” says Darin Stell, senior VP global commercial operations at Leica Microsystems. “By combining our technological expertise with the academic strength of Oxford, we aim to accelerate scientific discoveries and inspire the next generation of scientists.” Throughout its nearly 175-year history, Leica Microsystems has prided itself on partnerships with some of the world’s leading research institutions. Darin says, “This new collaboration with the prestigious University of Oxford is part of our strong commitment to the UK scientific community, helping scientists to stay at the forefront of cutting-edge global research.”

To celebrate the start of the collaboration, an inauguration day was held at Micron Oxford on September 22, attended by representatives from the University of Oxford and Leica Microsystems. The event featured scientific talks from renowned researchers as well as microscopy showcases that provided the chance to get hands-on with the latest innovations.

Further reading: AI-based workflow for confocal microscopy automates the detection of rare events, wileyindustrynews.com, 12 June 2023